The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Essay Example

Analysis of the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly The book by a Journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby gives details on his encounter with a rare kind syndrome, which deprived his speech and movement. His experiences encouraged him to write a book “the diving bells and the butterfly" to express his past and his present life after an illness that left him paralyzed (Bauby 12). Bauby titled his book as a diving bell, comparing himself with a heavily piped device used by divers to reach the end of the sea. The device is supplied with oxygen to sustain the lives of the divers. The heavy connected pipe makes it rather hard for its movement just as Bauby’s paralytic condition that made him immobile. Bauby’s illness made him unconscious for two weeks and later woke up with a paralysis that left only his left eye working. Jean-Dominique elaborates practical vision based on ordinary experiences magnified in words. The playwright reveals a significant environment of the changing modern literature through the characters. Miraculously, Dauby was able to communicate with his left eye by blinking to dictate his words at a time, selecting letters as the alphabets were recited to him over and again to make a sentence (Bauby 36). Through these efforts, Bauby was able to compose a book, diving bell and the butterfly. Bauby’s paralysis condition known as locked- in syndrome is a rare condition, which, the patient’s minds are active, but their body parts are immobile. Bauby experienced an immense stroke, in the result of which the injury of the brain took place where the anterior part of the pons was injured. The events of the narration technique focus more on past memories that generate a concrete relationship between the audience and the characters. The book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a reflective context that analyses the contemporary society through practical vision based on a playwright’s perception. Bauby had two children and never married their mother his character signifying his way of being independent and selfish. Given the character, it was easy for Bauby to fall apart. Conversely, his condition proved him as a person strong and a persistence personality. His condition gave him motivation and time to reflect on his life and the people around him hence he did not quit. There was not a time in life, Dauby wrote about suicide considering his condition, and that proved his positive perception towards life. Bauby’s optimism towards life shows how people can withstand hardships and still thinks of the benefits (Borgo and Will 100). In the diving bell and the butterfly memoir, we see how hard it is to recover from a coma as it is associated with loss of direction and uneven awareness of reality. Strong medications are administered to the patients to keep them stable during the healing process. Bauby’s recovery from the coma rendered him motionless and paralytic at the same time making the recovery process impossible (Bauby 97). Conversely, an awakening from a coma of the Hollywood seems easy as the victims come out of the comma as if they were in a dreamland and they do not seem to struggle during the recovery process. Bauby paralytic condition was depressing, and this made people avoid him as it is very hard to communicate to a disabled person. His condition was rather emotional, so it was tough to communicate to him as if nothing serious happened. It seemed extraordinary when he tried to communicate using his left eye making the situation more confusing to people. However, there were people who were courageous enough to communicate to him and act cheerful around him (Borgo and Will 150). Although Bauby is facing many challenges in connection to the paralysis, there is evidence that he has a clear and active mind as he expresses his feelings, thoughts, and fantasies through blinking his left eye while communicating (Bauby 100). It is also evident that his new life is philosophic as he narrates his past and the present. He has his feelings intact as he reacts when he sees women nearby and especially when his wife is speaking to him. Dauby seems to accept his current situation by striving towards his career. However, it is clear that he is upset in his current situation. Dauby previous life was almost with no principles, light-minded and full of energy since he was born lucky (Bauby 130). It was very hard for him to accept his present condition and learn to live with despair as he had lost all his charms and freedom. The paralytic condition rendered him dependent on others as he had to blink to get easy tasks done . Usually unwillingly, we see the disabled people as disabled both physically and mentally. We often think that the victim’s condition deprives them of their wishes needs and even a sense of humor. It is clear through Bauby’s condition that their minds are very much alive, and their sense of feeling and wisdom locked inside is still active. (Borgo and Will 200) Dauby was able to share his wisdom by blinking the left eye the only organ that was left active in his body, and he was able to react to the feelings of love. It is clear that we should take care of the disabled and mentally ill as they are just diving bells that require our attention and aid. The title Diving bells and butterfly reflect two sides of the victim. On one hand, Dauby is a diving bell that is motionless and restricts his freedom, his independence and movement and on the other, the surrounding environment sees him like a butterfly as he compares his new life as a butterfly connected with eternal retribution (Borgo and Will 248). Dauby life story teaches people to use their resources to the maximum despite the challenges around them. The comparison between an eternal retribution and practical life occurrences shows a far fetched symbolic technique evident in modern literature appreciation. In the film allows the viewers to see Dauby’s imaginations of his experiences in his career as a writer and his wife who he never married. The viewers are also able to see his fantasies that include imagining beaches and mountains (Bauby 132). The imaginations are restricted in the books as the woman from the publishing house could not see his imaginations. Dauby book was a success and passed away ten days after his book was published (Borgo and Will 249). The victim’s story is a crucial lesson that people should not give up until they fulfill their dreams. It is an imperative reminder that disabled have feelings and needs and so we should take good care of them.   Work Cited Bauby, Jean-Dominique. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death. New York: Vintage International, 1998. Print Borgo, Philippe, and Will, Hobson. A second wind The True Story That Inspired the Motion Picture the Intouchables. New York: Atria Paperback, 2012. Print. Bauby, Jean-Dominique. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1997. Print. Read More